The Half-Queer Prince
by geekyannie
Summary: When Harry Potter nearly kills his fellow classmate Draco Malfoy in the bathroom, he feels overwhelming guilt and wants to make it up to him. When Malfoy unexpectantly accepts his help, they start to work on a plan. Will they succeed and how will their surprising bond grow? Set during 6th Year, slow-burn Drarry.
1. chapter 1

**A/N: I do not own any of JK Rowling's work, only this story**.

 **Thanks for clicking on my story, hope you enjoy and feel free to leave reviews and comments! :3**

Harry Potter entered the hospital wing and looked around, his eyes searching for a blonde head. Nearly all the beds were empty and clean, except one. When Harry saw the Slytherin lying under the covers he hesitated. He hadn't been seen yet, he could still turn around and leave, pretend he didn't care about the other boy. But the guilt had been nagging at him since Snape had shooed him out of the bathroom and he couldn't bear it anymore. Harry walked across the room to his young man he'd nearly killed. Malfoy's eyes were closed and his features twisted into a grimace, either of pain or something he was thinking about. His whole torso was wrapped in bandages and Harry's stomach churned at the sight of the few spots of blood on the white cotton. He cleared his throat.

"Malfoy"

The young man's eyes fluttered open and he groaned. Trying to adjust to the light he blinked several times until he recognised the person in front of him.

"Potter? What the hell are you doing here?"

You could hear how he tried to sound tough but the exhaustion was clearly audible in his voice.

"Uhm, I just wanted to-"

"Y'know what, spare your apologies", Malfoy spat and closed his eyes again.

Harry was speechless for a second, trying hard not to get annoyed.

"Well, you're kind of forced to listen to me since you can't move"

Malfoy opened his eyes again and glared at him. He had to admit, Harry was right, so before Malfoy could say anything else Harry continued.

"I know this might sound cheap-"

"-and stupid-"

"-but I'm really sorry, okay? I didn't know what the spell would do, I didn't want to harm you this much and- I just want to know if I can do anything to make it up to you?"

On the inside Harry was cringing at himself and couldn't believe he was offering help to _Draco Malfoy!_

"That's pathetic." Malfoy rolled his eyes. "You nearly killed me and all you have to say is 'I'm sorry'? You're seriously pathetic"

Harry's blood began to boil, he couldn't believe the arrogance of that snake! What more could he do than apologise? It wasn't like he could turn back time, not legally at least. All he could do was offer a friendly gesture but Malfoy was obviously too proud to even think about accepting it. Considering their history of hatred it wasn't a surprise, though.

"Well, what else do you expect me to do?"

"I dunno, get lost or something..."

Now it was Harry's turn to roll his eyes. "Unbelievable. You're unbelievable."

Malfoy just glared up at him. If he hadn't been stuck on the bed he surely would've jinxed Harry already. Or maybe not, given his tired look. Harry noticed the dark circles under his eyes and how waxen Malfoy's skin looked, he really must have lost a lot of blood. Had his cheekbones stuck out that much before? It seemed like Malfoy had lost quite some weight but Harry couldn't think of a reason why.

"Why are you still standing there?" Malfoy hissed, cutting short Harry's curiosity.

"You still haven't told me if I could do something for you", he insisted, slowly regretting even coming here. He should've known he was only going to make a fool out of himself.

Malfoy studied Harry with his eyes, seemingly lost in his thoughts. Then he furrowed his brows.

"You really wanna do something, Potter"

Harry shrugged, not wanting to admit the guilt he felt.

"Maybe you could-uhm there's this thing that-", but then he abruptly shook his blond hair. "No, never mind"

Was Draco Malfoy being insecure? Could the perfect Malfoy even be unsure of anything? Harry took a step closer to the bed.

"No, not 'never mind'. What thing are you talking about?" His suspicion about Malfoy being a Death Eater popped up in his head but he quickly pushed it aside. He couldn't accuse someone lying drained of blood on a hospital bed a Death Eater, even if that someone was Malfoy.

"Nothing! You would only go and tell Dumbledore and make everything only worse"

"No, I wouldn't!"

Malfoy sighed. "Yeah, right"

"Look, you can't just start to ask for something, make me curious but leave it there"

Before Malfoy could reply he was cut off by Madam Pomfrey.

"Mr. Potter, the visiting hours are over. And anyways, Mr. Malfoy needs a lot of rest, so I suggest you find your way back to your dormitory." Harry knew how strict the matron could be and simply nodded.

"Just one moment, Madam Pomfrey", then he turned back to Malfoy. "I'll come back tomorrow and you can tell me about thing thing or yours"

With that Harry spun around and left the Hospital Wing. He already knew he wouldn't get their conversation out of his mind for the rest of the evening.


	2. Chapter 2

On the next day Harry shoved down his lunch hurriedly, calmed his friends' confused expressions with a lame excuse and then rushed out the Great Hall. He wasn't actually going to the library as he had told Ron and Hermione, now that he came to think of it he probably should've. Since he'd stopped using the Half-Blood Prince's instructions his work in Potions had gone back to miserable again. But the anticipation of hearing about Malfoy's problem was driving him crazy, so he soon found himself in the Hospital Wing again.

"Mr. Potter,", the clear voice if Madam Pomfrey came from the corner of the room. Harry turned around to face her. "visiting Mr. Malfoy again, I assume?"

Harry nodded and followed her to the bed where Malfoy was currently sleeping.

"His condition has improved a lot, so I'll be able to release him by next week. The wounds still aren't fully healed, though, and he is very weak, so don't keep him awake for too long."

"I won't, thank you, Madam Pomfrey."

As soon as the matron had walked away he cleared his throat and got closer to the sleeping body.

"Malfoy.", he didn't dare to poke him, in case he would touch a wound. "Malfoy, wake up"

Slowly the bandaged Slytherin stirred and his eyes blinked a few times before opening with a groan.

"Potter? Merlin's beard, why won't you just let me sleep?"

"Uh, I did. Don't you know what time it is?"

"No, how would I?"

"I'm on my lunchbreak now"

Malfoy frowned, clearly surprised. "Oh"

"Anyway", Harry was getting impatient, he didn't have all day for this. "now tell me about this problem of yours."

He only received a glare, so he quickly added a "please?".

After a minute of silent staring the Slytherin boy sighed and looked around the Wing. "We're alone, don't worry"

"This really isn't the best place to discuss something like this" Malfoy spoke quietly, as if afraid. Harry had never seen him this anxious, which then also made him nervous. But he had been the one to offer help, he couldn't back off now.

"Just spit it out, Malfoy"

"And you won't tell anyone?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Of course not, we're not children anymore."

Malfoy sighed once again, his fingers played with the edge of his blanket. They were just as thin and bony as the rest of his body. Concern arouse again in Harry but he ignored the sudden sympathy he now felt for Malfoy.

"I can't believe I'm telling you this...It's about a mission I've been given. By the Dark Lord."

Harry's attention immediately snapped back to Malfoy's face at the mention of Voldemort.

"So, you're- you're a-"

"A Death Eater yes, but I'm sure you figured that out already, right?"

He gave a small nod, holding back a smile. The sudden feeling of victory grew in him about being right. He would've loved to tell Hermione just so he could prove himself too. But...he couldn't. When he noticed Malfoy staring at him, probably waiting for some kind of reaction, he blinked confused. Right. The mission.

"What is the mission about?"

The grey eyes stared down at the blanket again.

"Just...don't freak out, okay?"

Harry frowned. How bad could it be? It wasn't as if Voldemort would give a crucial mission to a teenager who lives literally in the same building as Dumbledore. How ridiculous would it be if Voldemort would have told Malfoy to kill Dumbledore?

"I...have to kill Dumbledore"

The furrowed eyebrows shot up and he stared and Malfoy in shock.

"You- you what??"

Panicked Malfoy glanced around and shot Harry a warning look.

"Shut up, Potter, do you want the whole school to know? You know what I said and I know how terrible it sounds"

"How it sounds?? It is terrible! How could you- I mean no way I would let you-"

"Fucking hell, Potter" Malfoy hissed madly, "of course I won't! What do you think I am? A murderer?? No! I can't do it! I'm just-I'm still young, I could never..."

For a moment Harry was quiet, he couldn't believe he'd just heard Malfoy cuss like that. And worse he couldn't believe about the mission he'd just heard. It was too much to take in. But now thinking about it, giving that task to Malfoy was logical. It would only be too easy for him. Then a light went up in Harry's brain.

"So the poisoned drink and the cursed necklace was all...?"

"me. Yes" Malfoy nodded exhausted. "I didn't dare to do it myself, so I tried to find other ways to...you know."

Harry shook his head in disbelief. How had he not figured it out. Now that he knew who behind all those 'accidents' it seemed so obvious. Hermione could have understood it if she'd believed Malfoy to be a Death Eater. And even Dumbledore? Had he really not noticed or did he ignore it in his usual Dumbledore-ish way by ignoring the issue?

"But if you don't actually want to do it..."

Malfoy exhaled sharply, eyebrows drawn together.

"What choice do I have? My father is a Death Eater, my mother...something in between. But she's Bellatrix's sister so...", he closed his eyes, face more relaxed. "I don't really have anyone outside of the Dark Lord's reach."

The facts surred around in Harry's brain, trying to assemble to some kind of plan. There had to be a way to release Malfoy of this mission and keep Dumbledore safe. Malfoy opened his eyes again and they met Harry's. Both were trying to read each other but all Harry could see was fatigue and despair. It was scary to see the once tough enemy so...vulnerable.

"I think..." Harry started, an idea forming in his head. "I might have an idea how to help you but...let me think about it first okay?"

Malfoy shrugged and instantly whinced at the movement of his torso. As if of reflex Harry stepped closer to the bed, arms stretched out. For a moment he stood there, reaching out and Malfoy stared at his hands in surprise. Embarrassed Harry retreated and stuffed his hands in his pockets. He stared at his shoes to hide his blush.

"I'll step by again another day then", he mumbled and left.

 **(A/N): thank you to everyone for reading so far. I'll do my best to upload at least once a week! :)** **As always, I'm always thankful for reviews and favs so yknow what to do hehe**


	3. Chapter Three

About a week later when Harry went to find Malfoy he heard of Madam Pomfrey that he'd been released from the Hospital Wing. In hopes to see him in the hallways Harry kept glancing around when walking from class to class. After a few days it started to become obvious since Hermione made a remark about it on the way down to the Dungeons. They had double Potions next which already made Harry grumpy, let alone Hermione's nosy questions. Of course she didn't mean it like that, he knew that by now.

"Well look at that, the typical pact of Gryffindors again. Here to save the day?" Pansy Parkinson snarled at them before they could even enter the classroom.

"Piss off, Pansy", Ron shot back, which only made the girl grin wider. Harry was about to say something to back his friend up but a familiar voice talked first.

"Drop it, Pansy. It's not worth it", Malfoy made it look like he was bored, but the steel grey eyes stared intensely in Harry's as if to tell him something. Enraged Harry noticed he was blushing again and quickly turned to his table, slamming his book on it.

Mr. Slughorn glanced over raising his eyebrows. "Looks like our Mr. Potter is in a bad, bad mood today huh?", he chuckled and Harry cringed at the way he said 'our Mr. Potter'.

Usually Hermione would settle on the table left to his, so when he saw blonde hair move closer in the corner of his eye he turned round confused.

"Hello again, Potter", Malfoy smirked like usual, only that it wasn't usual for him to greet Harry. Slowly but surely Malfoy unpacked his school supplies and organised them next to his cauldron.

"Something wrong, Potter?" For a second Harry still followed Malfoy's hands, wondering what they were doing on the desk next to his. Quickly he blinked to meet the other's eyes, which turned out to be close to impossible. The silver in Malfoy's eyes was like striking lighting and felt just as piercing. Harry shook his head and fixed his stare at Slughorn, as if waiting for the lesson to begin.

"You didn't come back to the Hospital Wing anymore" Malfoy made it sound like a question.

"When I did you'd already been released" Harry shrugged and was torn whether to listen to Slughorn who'd just began talking or not. Though, Malfoy made that decision for him.

"Any great idea you had in your useless brain?" Malfoy grinned, but Harry couldn't find anything not-childish to say back. He glanced at Ron at his right side who acted as if to pay attention to class. Probably he was wondering why Malfoy had suddenly decided to change seat next to Harry's. He'd honestly been wondering the same thing.

"Anyone could hear what we're saying" Harry mumbled, just loud enough for Malfoy to hear.

"Alright, alright" With a wave of his wand Malfoy created an invisible bubble around them to keep any sound from escaping. Harry raised his eyebrows in surprise, he had to admit he was impressed.

"Now, Potter" Malfoy spoke again. "Your idea?"

"I thought of someone who could be able to help you. By hiding I mean"

Malfoy frowned. "Hiding? You can't be serious"

"It's the only way. You can't go through with the mission but you can't disobey Voldemort. But Dumbledore could keep you safe and hidden."

"Wait, what? Dumbledore?? Potter, are you out of your mind?"

Even though the bubble kept out all sounds they were still visible to the eye, so Harry shot Malfoy a warning look.

"No I am not, Malfoy" he set pressure on his name, as if proving a point. "I know how it sounds, but think about it. The only wizard who was ever able to keep Voldemort away was Dumbledore. He's the most powerful wizard right now, and surely he would help one of his students out"

Surprisingly Malfoy went quiet for several minutes, staring into space and combing his fingers through his hair absently. Harry was really hoping for Malfoy to see the point he was trying to make. It was the only idea he could come up with.

Ron suddenly put his cauldron in front of him and flipped through his book. Malfoy had noticed everyone starting to work too and dropped the bubble.

"Ron" Harry whispered. "What do we have to do?"

His friend chuckled at him, still going through the pages. "Blimey, at least pay a bit of attention"

"You're the one telling me?" Harry muttered but Ron didn't seem to hear.

"The potion on page 426, we have the rest of the lessons"

"Thanks"

Malfoy had already started crushing some of his ingredients so Harry hurried to catch up. He knew Malfoy was excellent at Potions, maybe he could learn something by following his steps. To the point when he poured everything in his cauldron it worked fine, glancing over and mirroring Malfoy's actions.

"Need help with your potion or is there another reason you keep looking over here?" Malfoy asked with a raised eyebrow. That damn blush that kept creeping up! Trying to find an excuse Harry went back to their subject from before.

"You still haven't given any reaction to before" Very aware that anyone would be able to listen he tried to be as vague as possible.

Malfoy shrugged and stirred his blue-ish potion clockwise. "It's pretty bad, even for your standards", he rolled his eyes "remember Karkaroff? He tried to hide. And then dead within a few weeks."

"This isn't the same, though. Karkaroff was on his own, we have Dumbledore."

"We?"

Realising what he'd said Harry stammered. "Yeah, uh, as in we, the school"

Malfoy shot him a quick look and clearly didn't believe the whole 'we school'-thing. Smirking he continued. "Sure, whatever. I guess we could" he seemed to hesitate "give it a chance"

Harry smiled. This went much easier than he'd expected. There had been whole scenarios playing in his head of Malfoy abrupty shouting at him during class, laugh right at his face, ignoring him and continuing the mission, and so on. Thinking about it now Harry realised he'd been far too occupied with Malfoy's possible reactions.

"That isn't really a plan yet, though", Malfoy continued, while mixing in some juice in his potion. "Any idea where we could meet to work it out?"

Malfoy wanted to meet?? Well, of course, duh, they couldn't discuss something like that any further during class. Harry tried his best to not seem surprised.

"Uhh, maybe by the lake?"

With a short nod he accepted and glanced over with his damned silver eyes.

"Right after dinner?"

Harry nodded too and smiled. And Malfoy smiled back. Actually smiled. It quickly turned into a smirk when Harry's potion started creating bubbles and hissing. Harry cursed when the supposedly blue potion turned purple, then black and Malfoy chuckled sweetly next to him.


	4. Chapter Four

"Malfoy??"

"Sshhh, Merlin's beard, Potter. Do you want the whole school to know?"

A dark figure came out behind a tree, shoulders hunched. Harry frowned at Malfoy's pissed-off tone, he'd nearly gotten used to the way they could talk like (more or less) normal people. As weird as that sounded. Nevertheless he lowered his voice.

"Calm down, Malfoy. Know what?"

Malfoy stepped into the moonlight, his skin glowing in it like pale porcelain, the shadows under his cheekbones and eyes seemed to melt away. But between his eyebrows a thin line had appeared.

"That I'm meeting Harry Potter in secretly at night"

He rolled his eyes as if Harry was stupid to not read his thoughts.

"That sounds kinda wrong, y'know..."

Harry muttered with a grin, and when Malfoy realised what he'd said his eyes widened.

"Oh shut up, you know what I meant"

Though he looked mad, Malfoy's voice sounded too soft to be harsh. And was that a hint of colour on his cheeks? Harry couldn't double-check when Malfoy sunk his head and cleared his throat.

"So, Dumbledore, huh?"

Harry nodded. To be honest, it had been the only idea he could come up with and even that wasn't a good one. What were they even going to say to the Headmaster? It wasn't like they could walk in and start chatting about Voldemort as if about grades. Malfoy seemed to be thinking, too. His eyes were fixed onto Harry's shoes but he was staring into space. Absently he ran a bony hand through his hair, messing it up slightly. He seemed to do that a lot, apparantly. A strand of blond hair landed on his forehead and Harry had to resist the urge to push it back again.

"Something wrong with my hair?"

Shocked Harry blinked and noticed Malfoy's ever so piercing eyes staring at him curiously. Malfoy had noticed him staring. How embarrassing! Harry aggressively shook his head, most likely blushing hard.

"No, no, your hair's fine, I mean it looks good, I didn't mean to-"

"Relax, Harry, I was teasing"

Malfoy laughed, his eyes shining. Harry stopped stuttering and looked astonished at the happiness in Malfoy's expression. It soon faded into slight shock and Harry soon realised why; Malfoy had called him by his first name. By accident for sure, but he'd never done that before. Far too soon Malfoy's face returned again to the unreadable mask it had been before. Harry watched as he brushed the strand of hair back.

"I was thinking that maybe you should do the talking"

Malfoy said, as if nothing weird had happened and they were discussing points of a business plan. Slowly Harry nodded, though he wasn't quite sure if him doing the talking was a good idea. He knew he could lose his temper fairly quickly and Malfoy was the one to manipulate others coolly to get what he wanted. But then again you couldn't say that Malfoy and Dumbledore were anywhere as close as Harry was with him. Perhaps it was better that way.

"I guess so. But what are we actually gonna say?"

That's what had been bugging Harry all evening, it's not like he had experience in having a conversation like that with his Headmaster. Malfoy raised an eyebrow teasingly.

"I thought you were the one with the plan?"

He grinned and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"Now you want me to do all the work for you?"

Harry snapped back, slowly getting annoyed by Malfoy's constant teasing. The bare minutes they had spent together had already been awkward, so why did he have to make it worse?

Malfoy frowned and studied Harry's face for a while which only made him more uncomfortable and stare to the floor.

"Alright then, I'll do the talking."

Malfoy said tightly. Harry looked up but found Malfoy still looking at him, so he frowned back. Was it something he'd done? Surely Malfoy had no right to act rudely again. On the other hand he'd done so the last six years.

Harry nodded shortly.

"I'm sure it won't change the way Dumbledore will react"

Malfoy just shrugged and stuffed his hands in his pockets. A small cloud rose up from his mouth when he exhaled. Despite spring soon coming it was still crisp and the air was stingingly fresh.

"So-" Harry cleared his throat. "about your mission, what-"

"Can we not talk about that here?"

Malfoy briskly interrupted him with a deep sigh. What was that supposed to mean? Here? But Malfoy didn't give any further explanation, just glanced at the looming castle behind them. Then it occured to Harry that maybe he wasn't the only one who saw Hogwarts as a safeplace from an abusive family. Maybe, as odd as it sounded, he and Malfoy had something in common. He had never thought about other students' life away from school, except Ron and Hermione's of course, but it made perfect sense for Malfoy to feel safer here. Without noticing Harry had been observing Malfoy for far too long now and Malfoy had noticed for he finally looked back up from the ground and at Harry with a tilt of his head. He panicked slightly and blurted out the first thing he could think of.

"So at Dumbledore's office tomorrow?"

Weirdly enough, Malfoy grinned and after a while of silence he nodded and answered.

"After school"

"Harry?" Hermione's bushy hair appeared as soon as he stepped into the Common Room. "Where have you been all evening?"

Harry mentally cursed himself for not having an excuse ready. Ron joined them and obviously expected an answer too.

"Uh at- at the library"

Hermione raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"Oh? Me too! We could've worked together, where were you seated?"

Dammit. He should've known she'd be in the library and now Ron was suspicious, judging by the lines on his forehead.

"In the restricted section", he muttered and took a step to the side to get past. His friends' reactions were both expected and relieving.

Ron grinned while Hermione exclaimed "Harry! When will you stop breaking the rules, just think of the housepoints you could lose" She scolded at him and crossed her arms. Of course she wouldn't let him go this quickly, he should've known. He sighed and looked at her apologetically.

"I know, I'm sorry. I'll try not to do it again"

She simply rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"I'm going upstairs, I need the sleep"

With that she picked up the pile of books on a nearby desk and marched off to the girls' dorm. Ron gave a quick laugh and raised an eyebrow at Harry.

"You didn't have to tell her the whole truth"

He remarked, which only made Harry feel worse. He hated lying, especially to his friends and just wanted to get out of the situation. The Common Room was quiet, nearly everyone had gone to bed but the ashes in the fireplace were still glimmering. The whole room was filled with a warm atmosphere, completely different to the harsh cold outside. Still, Harry wished to still be outside.

"I'm tired, gonna go to bed"

He mumbled and made his way upstairs, followed by Ron. Despite the lack of suspicion he got, the guilt of lying was nagging on his insides.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'm really so sorry for not uploading for that long, I saw at least some of you rly wanted me to. I'm currently doing an exchange so I basically moved to a new country all on my own which was exciting and scary, therefore I was busy sorting my life out here but hey I'm back!! Be ready for some cute drarry moments ;)

don't forget to leave a comment and/or a like, they really keep me going.

have a great day xx


	5. Chapter Five

" _Malfoy?!_ " Harry shouted, running down a dark and empty hallway. His rushed steps were echoing from the walls, but he didn't care about being heard anymore. Their plan had failed, Death Eaters had succeeded in breaking into Hogwarts despite Dumbledore's spell. " _Malfoy, where are you??"_ , Harry halted for a moment to catch his breath and looked around frantically. Though no one was to be seen, screams and crashs could be heard from the distant. Then he heard it: "Potter!" It was unmistakeably Malfoy's voice, but the distress in it sent shivers down Harry's spine. Picking up his pace again he dashed around the corner just in time to be blinded by a green flash.

 _"Avada Kedavra!"_ As if in slow-motion, Harry could see a slender figure crashing to the ground, Malfoy's facial features twisted into shock, eyes wide open.

" _NO!"_ Without thinking Harry sprinted towards the body, nearly tripping over his own frantic steps. Just before he could reach Malfoy, another flash of green overtook his visions and then everything went black.

* * *

With a start Harry jumped up, mouth gaping with a silent cry. His body was covered in cold sweat, drenching the bedsheets underneath him and trickling down his temples. Heavily breathing Harry tried to grab his glasses, but his shaking hands dropped them to the floor. He sighed deeply and fell back onto the pillow. It had only been a dream. Thank goodness. The vision of Malfoy's pale and lifeless face flashed before his eyes. Harry rubbed his eyes, mixing tears and sweat, and took a few deep breaths.

"It was only a dream, calm down", he whispered to himself. From the bed beside him he could hear Ron snoring not-so-quietly, and in a strange way that allowed his mind to return from the dream world and his heart rate to calm down. With a few more deep breaths he finally fell back into a deep slumber.

* * *

The next morning Harry was sitting in the Grand Hall with Ron and Hermione debating about whether muggle or wizard breakfast tasted better. He had been somewhat amused by the discussion, up until he spotted a blond head entering thr Hall and steering towards the Slytherin table. To his great annoyance Harry couldn't shake the mental image of the gruesome death, however imaginary it had been. Something about the emptiness in the silver eyes left him cold and he pushed aside his breakfast. Neither a muggle or magical one seemed appetising.

* * *

A/N: I won't bore you with apologies about my lack of uploading. I hope someone still is interested in the progression of the story ;).

Hope you enjoyed this short chapter, leave a comment if you did, or if you have some constructive criticism.


	6. Chapter Six

"Potter and Malfoy? Is there any trouble?", Dumbledore looked up from his desk with curiosity in his eyes. Harry and Malfoy briefly looked at each other, unsure of who would start. Then Harry took a step forward.

"No, Sir, we actually wanted to discuss something with you."

"Oh?" The Headmaster sounded surprised. No wonder, Harry thought, whenever the two of them had been in his office together, it had been because of a fight or any other form of trouble, really.

"It's quite serious, so...yeah, there shouldn't be anyone else listening or overhearing", Harry said and watched as Dumbledore swished his wand to lock the door of his office. A concerned frown had now formed on his forehead.

"Go on, then", Dumbledore said and invited them to sit down with a hand gesture.

Then Malfoy started explaining his situation to Dumbledore. The old wizard's face became more and more serious during the conversation and he looked pensive, but not particularly surprised.

After Malfoy had finished, Dumbledore nodded slowly, stroking his beard. A moment of heavy silence followed and eventually Harry cleared his throat.

"Professor? Aren't you surprised at all?"

That seemed to bring him back to reality. "Oh, no. I've seen this coming for a while now. I must admit I have been keeping an eye on you, Mr Malfoy. Though I was hoping that Voldemort perhaps wouldn't lay such a heavy burden on you after all. How I wish I was wrong"

Bewildered, Harry glanced over at Malfoy, whose face had turned into an unreadable mask. But his hands were squeezing the armrests of the chair, the knuckles turning white.

"What do you suggest we do?" Harry asked.

"Hm", the wizard hummed, scanning both the young men's faces as if looking for an answer himself. "I do have some options that come mind, but I would rather not decide on such a delicate matter so briskly. We don't want to make any rushed and faulty moves, for both our sakes, Malfoy."

"Hmpf", Malfoy huffed, barely meeting Dumbledore's gaze.

"But nevertheless, I will inform you as soon as possible on further matters. I do hope you can wait patiently, as well as quietly. For you must not behave in any way out of the ordinary, that is clear, isn't it? We still have the benefit of knowledge, while they don't."

The three of them agreed on Dumbledore sending them messages separately once he'd have a plan or news in general. Separately, so not to arouse any unwanted attention. Harry thanked the Head Master and followed Malfoy's brisks steps out of the office. Once in the hallway and out of earshot Malfoy huffed again. Harry glanced sideways.

"What's the matter, Malfoy?"

"Really, Potter? What's the matter?", he turned his head and flashed his eyes at Harry. Slight annoyance was starting to arise in Harry.

"Do you know what I'm risking by running to Dumbledore for help? He could just go off and-and- I dunno, ruin everything."

"He wouldn't do that!"

Malfoy gave a short, humourless laugh. "He's never been fond of me, never gave him a reason to. So what's holding him back, huh? I may not know him well, but Dumbledore's a proud wizard. Why would he want a Death Eater within his own school?"

"Bloody hell, Malfoy, you're being ridiculous!", Harry sighed aggravated. He stopped in his tracks to turn towards Malfoy. "Dumbledore would never turn you in, he cares for his students, you're just freaking out about nothing"

This made Malfoy halt, too, and spin around. His teeth were clenched and lightning shot from his eyes.

"Do _not-_ how _dare_ you tell me I'm freaking out about nothing. You're not the one who's life is in danger every minute of every day, who has to watch every step and move, think well of each word, because you're petrified of slipping up even a tiny bit. One tiny mistake and I could kill my whole family! Did you even think of that? Or does it just leave you cold because your family is already dead?"

Deadly silence followed. Malfoy's breathing was coming out in puffs, chest rising and falling rapidly. As if only just realising what he'd said he blinked fast, and stared at the floor. His mouth opened once more, but he closed it again, before turning on his heel and disappearing around the next corner.

Harry was left staring intently at the spot where Malfoy had stood, body shaking.

* * *

"Mr Potter? Could you tell us what the effect of the Essence of Dittany is?", Professor Slughorn's voice rang inside the Potions classroom.

" _Harry"_ , Hermione whispered and elbowed Harry in his side, painfully interrupting his thoughts. Confused he looked up blinking, trying to remember, if he'd ever heard of Dittany before."

"Uhh", he stuttered and felt his cheeks flush as some Slytherins sneered. Hermione's hand shot up like lightning, saving Harry from further embarrassment.

"Sir, the Essence of Dittany is a healing potion. It can be used to regrow skin over a wound."

A wide grin soread over Slughorn's face. "Very good Miss Granger. Ten points to Gryffindor. Let's hope that was a wakeup call for our Mr Potter", he chuckled and turned back to his textbook.

Hermione instantly leaned over to Harry. "What's going on, Harry? You've been spaced out for over a week now. Is everything okay?"

Harry managed to give a weak smile and nodded at the brunette. "It's nothing, not been sleeping well is all." Hermione studied his face for a second, rightfully doubting him, but eventually returned to her Potions work as Professor Slughorn continued the lesson.

Technically, Harry hadn't lied, his nights really had been restless. Either his dreams were haunted by the returning nightmare of Malfoy's death, or he couldn't fall asleep to begin with. He was kept up wondering and worrying if Malfoy was still on his side, trying to find a way not to kill Dumbledore, or if he was giving in to Voldemort. If only he was wrong to worry. Harry even thought of talking to Malfoy after Potions, maybe taking him aside, no matter if the other classmates would get suspicious. Strangely enough, Malfoy was missing from the day's lesson, and this only added another knot to Harry's stomach.


End file.
